Confirmed: New “Star Wars” movie based on “Seven Samurai” in development

posted at 9:01 pm on January 14, 2013 by Allahpundit

This isn’t the Episode VII promised by Disney but something extra, suggesting they’re going to explore the “Star Wars” universe beyond the linear Obi-Wan/Anakin/Luke plot line. No surprise — when you’ve just bought Hollywood’s biggest cash cow, you’re going to want to milk it — but I’m still ambivalent. If they use generic Jedi characters then it could be that all you’re watching is a movie you’ve already seen except with lightsabers, which feels more like “Star Wars” licensing than a true “Star Wars movie.” If they use Obi-Wan et al. then the characters you’re familiar with risk losing some of their integrity, as if they’re just, er, action figures being made to act out whatever classic plot the studio thought would be neat to remake. Coming soon: “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” starring Han, Boba Fett, and Chewbacca?

Having said all that, a remake of “Ikiru” featuring Luke slowly dying from an infection of his stump could be quite affecting.

Back in November, the Los Angeles Times reported that Man of Steel and 300 director Zack Snyder said he had no interest in directing the hotly anticipated seventh Star Wars film. But Vulture has learned that while this may be specifically true — he won’t be doing Episode VII — it was a bit of misdirection: He is in fact developing a Star Wars project for Lucasfilm that is set within the series’ galaxy, though parallel to the next trilogy. It will be an as-yet-untitled Jedi epic loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai, with the ronin and katana being replaced by the Force-wielding knights and their iconic lightsabers. (Go ahead, say it — you know you want to: “ … an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.” Felt good, didn’t it?)

It’s not clear just where Snyder’s untitled Jedi film would fall within the Star Wars chronology, but one insider expects it will not be considered part of the “numbered” episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post–Episode VI events, meaning the next phase of the franchise development is much broader than previously thought.

Presumably they’ll follow Marvel’s lead and introduce new characters in separate features with an eye to uniting them in one box-office-busting mega-feature down the road. Imagine the battle scenes when the Jedis you met in the third, seventh, and ninth new movies team up to challenge the Sith villains who debuted in the second, fifth, and eighth ones. Episode XXIII is going to be a barnburner. Especially if they land that much hoped for cameo by an 87-year-old Harrison Ford.

Exit question: What happens when “Star Wars” goes indie? Is it … this?

It should be about the origin of the Sith and the Jedis… Or the return of the Sith (after the death of the Emperor) and new war in the galaxy between the Sith and the Jedis… Other than that any other plot will be stupid…

They should have like the Star wars dudes do a jump through hyperspace and land in the Star Trek universe. And they could like team up with Kirk, and Spock, and Jerkov and them guys and battle Romulans. No, battle Roumlans that have allied with the monsters from Aliens. And they could fight and stuff. That would be cool.

After getting excited about Prometheus and then experiencing the bitterness that followed seeing the actual product I am not going to get excited about this. They are going to make a movie of the Forever War too but it is still in the early stages.

It should be about the origin of the Sith and the Jedis… Or the return of the Sith (after the death of the Emperor) and new war in the galaxy between the Sith and the Jedis… Other than that any other plot will be stupid…

mnjg on January 14, 2013 at 9:39 PM

Jedi is both singular and plural. You must be one of those ignorant tea baggies who come over here from Hot Gas…oh wait, I forgot where I was.

The problem I have with Kathleen Kennedy, who is now head of the StarWarsAtDisney (and former producer with Spielberg and her husband, also-producer/director Frank Marshall), the problem I have with her is that she “waxes poetic” a tad too much and it’s grown more pronounced as she’s aged and become more influential. She originally applied an empathetic aspect to Spielberg’s films that was much needed but on her own, she’s grown just too soaperetic.

I really just don’t get it as to why they can’t, if they must make more Star Wars films, proceed with credibility as to the original theme, which even Lucas ruined with his efforts to go-too-silly and then too-soaperetic himself with a few of the Episodes.

…continued…but I like what she and Marshall did with SIGNS, although the soaperetic aspect to the dying-wife’s situation became easy fare for ridicule on the internet (means it was apparent that it was melodrama and people often couldn’t take it seriously, though the film overall was).

Spare us the stupid trade federation plotlines, the awful dialogue, the unconvincing love story and all the SITTING in the recent trilogy.

Greek Fire on January 14, 2013 at 9:17 PM

I watched REVENGE OF THE SITH amidst an audience in Hawaii — predominantly Polynesian and Asian people (though I am neither) — and that scene where “the Counsel” is seen sitting around in a semi-circle about to consider young-adult Anakin, and the camera pans Counsel faces…when it got to actor Samuel Jackson, the whole theatre audience LAUGHED ALOUD.

Sorta’ ruined the seriousness of the film, from that point on. It became a thing of curiosity and no longer drama.

It makes sense, episode IV was based on The Hidden Fortress by Kirosawa.

Snowblind on January 14, 2013 at 9:48 PM

It’s because Kirosawa is hero extraordinaire to Lucas and Spielberg. He’s sorta’ their “ultimate auteur” guy. Lucas used just about every concept from mythical literature for Star Wars, that’s what he’s about.

They should have like the Star wars dudes do a jump through hyperspace and land in the Star Trek universe. And they could like team up with Kirk, and Spock, and Jerkov and them guys and battle Romulans. No, battle Roumlans that have allied with the monsters from Aliens. And they could fight and stuff. That would be cool.

tommyboy on January 14, 2013 at 9:56 PM

Tbat’s funny. Seriously. And I lately have a difficult time fully losing myself as viewer in most science fiction fantasy because I have been affected by that ^^ sort of photochop-it-in perspective. I start imagining one film meshed with two others, etc. and wonder when the Oopa Loopas will show up with Captain Picard’s cuppa at the helm.

I once thought about writing a fan fiction where Star Wars meets Star Trek through the Stargate and somehow the Cylons from Galactica show up to team up with the Borg to war against both sides. After about five pages, I decided that it would be way too complicated and probably way too simplified for those hardcore SF nerds to even remotely like since I don’t do technobabble.

They should just get Jamie Foxx and Samuel Jackson together and have them shoot all the White people for 90 minutes. Have Tarentino direct it and call it “Muthableepin’ Star Wars”. That’s a sure fire box office hit.

It’s Disney. They aren’t going to mess around with some Japanese story arc. They can start going through their old classics and give them a Star Wars twist. Lindsey Lohan isn’t busy now. She could reprise her Parent Trap role. In Star Trap she meets her evil Sith twin at summer camp and the plucky kids switch places. The Jedi twin goes home with dad to rule the universe as father and son and the Sith twin gets sent to the moisture farms of Tatooine. Eventually the ruse is discovered and hilarity ensues. Get Justin Bieber to do the music and you have a hit on your hands.

Cmon guys. More star wars > less star wars (except ep 1&2). I’d be interested to see more of that lexicon outside the traditional story line. Looks like it might be a false rumor anyway, but star wars ain’t the bible folks. More stories please.

Just watched Battle Beyond the Stars last week. What a childhood flashback. Did you know James Cameron was the art director for that Roger Corman…classic? So he’s been ripping off franchises and setting them in space from the beginning.

The new film could be nothing but Chewbacca making armpit farts and it wouldn’t be as bad as The Phantom Menace. That was the first instance I’ve ever experienced of a director actively trolling his own fanbase.